To Be Without Wings
by Valkyrja Jaeger
Summary: Two boys remain confined in their room due to a certain horrid incident when they were both eight. A father, who has gone mad after the loss of his wife going as far to keep his feelings caged along with his son and his son's best friend with the help of drug abuse, alcohol and prostitutes. Both boys fight their way to get out of this hell hole, and will they succeed? EreRi/RivaEre
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own SnK or anything mentioned.**

* * *

The fluorescent moon shone above, dark, puffy clouds surrounding the full moon allowing only traces of the deep blue sky above to be seen. The night was chilly, cold enough to make one repeatedly shiver, and it was dreary and dark outside.

From beyond a dirty window, two boys stared out at the moon, both seemingly broken physically and mentally, the light in their eyes were _long, long _gone. They were gone so long ago, it seemed as if they never existed. Just like the boys themselves.

The brunette with a tattered, olive-brown shirt stared up at the bright moon, his eyes a dark, lush, forest green color. He wore an old pair of shorts and simply sat beside a black haired male on the bed they've shared since they were children. The brunette was noticeably tan.

The dark haired male wore a pristine, white, long sleeved, button-up shirt with olive colored shorts as his silver eyes grew fond of the shining moon, the moonlight dripped onto his hair and body, illuminating his snow-white skin.

Both boys have been separated from society ever since the brunette's mother died along with the dark haired male's family. They've never gotten the chance to know the outside world very well. Technology was scarce in their house, the only traces of technology they owned being a house hold phone which they were never allowed to touch- and a TV, which they barely had any time to watch on. They were both always busy. Busy, busy, busy- doing what?

They were forced to clean the house daily. The brunette, being forced to cook whilst the other did the laundry. They were cleaning things they've never used before. Cleaning things only the brunette's father, Grisha Jaeger, used. Grisha, after Carla Jaeger's death, was a scary, dark man who was addicted to drugs, drug dealing and buying women, never caring for his son and his son's best friend, Levi, whom he had decided to keep captive of. Whenever visitors or prostitutes came by, Eren and Levi were unwillingly supposed to hide them, for if they hadn't, Grisha would punish them.

Levi did not get hit upon living his past seven years in this hell hole. He was obedient.

Eren was not.

Eren Jaeger, the son of Carla and Grisha Jaeger, was a rebel: doing things that would only make him get hurt despite the fact Levi tried to force things upon him.

Eren would always find needles scattered, spilling all across his father's room which held the heavy scent of sex and putrid liquids. Needles, pills of all kinds- they weren't uncommon to Levi and Eren anymore. They'd become a daily thing to see.

As clouds passed by the Jaeger's residence, Eren smiled.

"Look, Levi," He pointed out at the window, seemingly at the moon, which was slowly becoming covered, a hopeful smile on his face, "I wonder if one day... we can reach that."

"What?" Levi shifted his eyes to look at Eren, "The moon?" He scoffed, "I doubt it. We'd need money to get there."

"No, Levi," Eren shook his head, "not that. Outside," His voice was soft. It always was when he was alone with Levi. A tone he never used when he talked back to his father, earning him a hard slap on the face or a beating which would send him asleep for the least of five hours and the maximum of two days. "I think we can do it, one day... Reach out to the outside world, I mean..." He continued on, leaning his head onto Levi's shoulder.

"I don't think we can," Levi continued to look up at the window, shifting his gaze back to the window, "I _know _we can."

Eren grinned, "We should really make a plan that _can't __ever _fail, Levi. All these times we've tried to escape... I remember all of them. First, when we tried to get to the phone to call that '911' thing which only resulted to.. what? No food for two days, was it?" He looked over at Levi to see if his memory was correct.

Levi nodded, "Then after that, we tried to get out through the window, and now, the outside is fenced of with barbed wire, and then the last one almost worked... When we bought a prostitute for him and we tried to sneak out the door while he had... 'fun' with her. That only ended up badly because he left the alarm on, though..."

"I wish I knew the password to unlock it," Eren bit his lip, "then we could be... _free._"

Free.

The word which fell unfamiliar to their lips and mind: something they'd forgotten about.

"Yeah," Levi sounded breathless as the clouds covered the moon, their only source of light.

The fifteen year old boys continued to take in deep breaths, calming their senses.

"We should get out tomorrow," Eren began.

Levi looked at him, "No, no," he quickly denied, "that's not going to happen. We've failed _so _many times already- and this time, if we fail again, we could..." he choked, "_die."_

"It could work, Levi," Eren's eyes shimmered, "you never know. Let's keep this plan simple..." He twisted his whole body so he could look at Levi straight in the eye.

Levi copied him.

"After lunch, find the password while your cleaning his room, Levi," Eren's eyes were filled with hope, "I'll get him drunk- it should be easy, since he's a light weight. I hope you don't mind if you do most of the dirty work," Eren shot him an apologetic look.

Levi only nodded, telling Eren that he was fine with this.

"The password should be somewhere- maybe the old man is dumb enough to leave it behind mom's picture again. Take _all _the money you could find. Get out of there and help me beat him up until he knocked out when he's sitting on the couch after lunch like always. We put in the password in the device attached to the wall, and we _leave!"_ Eren sounded overly enthusiastic about his plan. "We can knock him out with a pan," He added on, in case Levi was wondering.

"I..." Levi slowly began, "don't think it'll work," he admitted.

"What?" Eren sounded slightly annoyed, "Why?"

"There are many flaws to that plan, Jaeger," Levi whispered.

Eren looked down, looking crestfallen for a moment. He picked up all his wisdom and shook Levi using Levi's shoulders, "Please," Eren shot him a sad smile, "this can be our last try... I just," He bit his lip, "I just... want to see the world. I want to see these '_oceans'_, to see these fruits called mangoes and dragon fruit! There are so many thing I want to learn about, Levi," He huffed, "and I want to see and taste them all with you..."

Levi looked away, pondering for a moment before sighing, "Fine. This _will _be the last time, promise?"

Eren nodded, a grin on his face, "Yeah!"

* * *

**Welp.  
The story begins rather quickly but whatevs.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin/進撃の巨人 at all.  
Sorry, I don't think I responded to all of you.  
**

* * *

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

The sound of Eren Jaeger's and Levi's alarm clock went of, signaling that it was time to wake up and do their work. It was four in the morning, and it was still dark outside, no trace of sun to be found. The dark, grey clouds hung over their neighborhood as if awaiting and surely, downpour would start within a few hours.

Levi was always the one to wake up first. He opened his eyes, feeling sluggish and tired today. Both males had only gotten three hours of sleep because of their father's loud love making directly above their room, and to say the least, it disgusted both of them. Levi looked around, looking at the clock which read 4:00AM before snoozing it, telling the alarm clock that it was fine to shut up now. Her then turned around and was shocked to see Eren facing him, hands on his head, his legs pulled towards his chest. He looked so scared while he slept- _he always_ did, and Levi knew why. _  
_

Every now and then, if something was done wrong, Eren's father would break into their room and hit Eren's head extremely hard with his hand. Now a days, it didn't happen as frequently as it had back then, because they were older and much more responsible, but this sleeping position had become a habit for Eren to sleep in. Levi slept casually, his arms always wrapped around something- whether it be a pillow or Eren's torso. Eren cared from little to nothing when Levi did this: it was just natural.

Levi took a large intake of oxygen before gently taking a cold hand, raising it and placing it onto Eren's own.

Eren's body stiffened and Levi frowned. He must've thought it was his father again.

"Eren," Levi softly began, his voice raspy, his throat parched, "it's time to wake up. Come on," Levi then held onto Eren's hand tighter.

Eren groaned and opened an eye, fierce emerald eyes looking into silver bullets, "Le..vi?"

"Yeah, it's me." Levi took his hand off Eren's, eyes still gleaming as he watched Eren shift on the bed slightly. Levi sat up, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Already..?" Eren yawned, sitting up along with Levi, "It has only been about thirty minutes!"

Levi turned his head to face Eren. "I thought you slept at one?" He glared at Eren, his eyes sharp.

Eren choked on air, looking rather nervous. He grinned sheepishly at Levi, "Sorry, I was..."

Levi rose an eyebrow, "Doing what?"

"..Planning out for our escape today, remember?" Eren grinned. He then shot up from bed and began to fish for his notepad beneath.

Levi gave him an odd look, "Escape..?" He thought for a moment, "Oh, _that _plan." Levi seemed incredulous now, "Look Eren, I don't think it's going to work."

Eren paused. He stopped looking for the notepad and hunched his back, his shoulders slouched. He turned to look at his one and only friend, looking very upset and disappointed. Green eyes seemed to question Levi's very being, "You said that yesterday, and you said that you would help!" Eren complained.

"Eren," Levi looked down, "we've almost died once. I don't want something like-" he flinched as he remembered the image of Eren being thrown to a wall like a rag-doll, his pained screams and the sickening sound of a bone cracking echoing in his ears, "that to happen.. again." He shook his head, "I don't want that to happen again." Levi's eyes met Eren's determined one, a still scowl on his face, "I don't want you to suffer anymore. I'm fine living like this, as long as we live-!"

A spark of flames lit Eren's eyes, igniting rage, "Is that it!?" He coldly laughed at Levi, "Don't you want to see the outside world?"

Levi was about to say something, but yet again, Eren cut him off.

"Levi," Eren looked down, his hair falling to cover his eyes, "I don't want to live like this anymore." He suddenly shot up, his hands reaching for Levi's shoulders. He tackled Levi down onto the bed, his eyes wide. Levi's own eyes widened as wet drops of tears fell onto his cheeks, and at that moment, he realized the charming, vibrant look in Eren's eyes. Innocence_. _Innocence tinged with anger, and then he realized how green Eren's eyes were. It was almost as if they were glowing in the dark. They were as clear as day, salty tears welling up at the base of the green of Eren's eyes. Levi took this time to examine Eren further, feeling oddly interested in Eren's looks at the time. He never really had the time to look, identify and examine anymore- he had always been so busy. Busy with a cruel life, busy with a cruel father looking after his own son and son's friend in disgusting manners. He noticed how _pale _Eren's tan skin, and he quickly took note of how dry his full lips were. "_He could work as a model," _Levi figured as his eyes roamed around Eren's body more. Tan skin which contrasted to Levi's, not exactly smooth but it wasn't so bumpy either. Levi's eyes fell on a scar beside Eren's ear. Yet again, another painful reminder of the day they'd learned their lesson. Unconsciously, he lifted a hand cupped one of Eren's wet cheeks, tears still running down like streams while Levi looked back up at Eren's vibrant eyes.

Eren was full on sobbing, fat tears sliding down his pale cheeks, "Levi," the said boy took notice that Eren's voice had softened, "I don't like living like this..." Eren continued to sob, taking a hand off one off of Levi's shoulders and holding onto Levi's hand cupping his face, "We need to get out of these... these _walls- _this cage that we're stuck in. Listen, and hear me out, okay? We're living like livestock, and we've been living like this for almost a _decade," _he shifted, straddling Levi, "and I'm tired- _no, _we're _both _tired in this world where you only have one choice- to work for that bastard of a father of mine." Eren closed his eyes and tried to catch his uneasy, bated breaths as he remembered his happy family long ago- the happy family which was burned down to ashes after a sole calamity which lead to more disasters and Levi was caught like a helpless fish in a net. These events which happened made them dislocate from society and to everyone around them.

It has been seven years since they've last been outside.

And to society, they have become invisible.

No one would recognize them.  
No one would care.

A fire lit in Levi's heart at Eren's words. It was true. It was the _painful _truth: they were living like livestock in these walls the brunette's father had locked them in for years. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and took in some of the damp air, Eren's tears wetting his own cheeks, sliding down them and falling onto the itchy, dirty bed sheets, unattended for five months.

Eren was shocked when he saw that glint he had seen long ago in Levi's eyes. His heart stopped as Levi spoke:

"I'll help you."

A smile.

The fire in one's heart was back, although it was very, _very _dim, but everything had a chance. Everything had a chance to glow brighter, to rise higher until it finally licked the sky.

* * *

After they had dressed into their thick, warm clothes, knowing they would be outside later on, they ascended up the stairs. Eren was extremely worried. The notepad was lost in their room and of course, they had checked everywhere for it. It was their master key to living, this one sheet of lined paper. It was gone now, Eren had either misplaced it or rats could've taken it.

Eren opened the wooden door. The smell of drugs met him. It was natural to smell things like these now, it hardly concerned both of the teenagers. The first thing Eren saw when he exit out of the basement was a needle on the ground, half filled with fluids that he could recognize as heroine. He cringed his nose in utter disgust and picked it up, quickly walking to the bathroom which was in front of him and dropping it into the empty trash can after he drained the fluids in the sink. He then walked over to the mini room filled with cleaning equipment, seeing as Levi was already there, pulling on yellow latex gloves and what seemed to be window cleaning spray. Eren smiled at Levi, who looked annoyed, "This will be our last day, Levi..." Eren whispered, "our _last _day."

Levi shot him a small smirk, "Let's hope so..." He responded before taking the rest of the tools he needed and leaving to clean some windows, wrapping white cloth on his head and placing a white bandana over his mouth and tying it to secure it in place.

Eren chuckled lightly, but inside he was nervous.

What if the plan was ruined? What if they did not do it correctly? What if, what if, what if...

Eren grabbed the plastic broom stick and clenched his fist around it, tightening his grip.

* * *

Eight hours has passed, and their father was now awake for lunch.

Eren quietly sipped his soup along with Levi, eying his very own father in disgust. He felt no affection towards his father, just pure hate. Pure, _grand _hate.

Grisha Jaeger was drinking his daily dose of _Pincer Vodka, _the supposedly strongest vodka you could find out there. He poured some into a glass, not caring for the spills he created will doing so. He beckoned a finger, telling Levi to stand up.

Levi stood up and grabbed a napkin, rushing over to Grisha and wiping the alcohol off the table. He then bunched the stained napkin up and threw it to the closest garbage can and went back to eating beside Eren.

Grisha took the clear shot glass and brought it up to his mouth, drinking the whole thing in one whole gulp. He noticed Eren's abhorred gaze at him and laughed, "Son, why are you glaring at me like that, hm?" His speech was already slurred. Levi narrowed his eyes. Was he still drunk from the night before..?

Eren didn't say anything. He only clenched his mouth shut and glared at his so-called father. He played with the light yellow soup using his spoon, repeatedly making circles to entertain himself while he continued his ministrations.

Grisha glared back at him, "What? You wish you were as special as Levi?"

Eren's sharp, murderous glare sharpened.

Grisha look out a breathless laugh, "You can't ever be like Levi, Eren," he continued to laugh, "look at yourself closely in a mirror! I would've wished that you were Levi, and if I knew you'd be like this, I would've killed you and took Levi in as my child, and _none of this would happen. _Compared to Levi, you're filth easily found under a boot! You don't even have my handsome looks! You're weak, so easy to break," a menacing smile emitted from Grisha, "_so easy to break. _You're like a broken twig, taped together by weak strings. No matter how many times you fix yourself, you always break, and break, and break, and brea-!"

Eren slammed his hands down onto the table, having enough of his father's drunken babbles, "Maybe I could look at myself if you _let _us have a mirror! You tell me to look at myself, but it's like you're _better _than I am- _you aren't. _If it weren't for me and Levi babying you constantly, you'd be a worthless, piece of shit!" Eren pulled back from his chair and began to walk away from the table, "I'm going to clean now, I've lost my appetite."

Surprisingly, Grisha only laughed as if what Eren had said was nothing but bullshit. "Hey!" He called out to Eren.

Eren ignored him and continued to walk on, and just as he reached the bathroom door, a spoon was sent flying to his head. Eren growled and looked behind him, "What!?" He barked.

"Where's my needle? It was there yesterday and _don't _lie to me," Grisha laid back in his chair while Levi continued to try and eat. Eren's food was always delicious, but on days like these, it seemed tasteless.

"I threw it out," Eren quickly replied before beginning to walk.

"Hey bitch!" Grisha stood up, "Take it out of the garbage and give it to me."

Levi sensed that something dangerous would happen. He immediately stopped eating and prepared himself for what was going to happen.

"No," Eren scoffed, "besides, if I did, there would be nothing in it."

These words caused Grisha to snap.

Grisha rushed forward to Eren, who was now standing still like a deer caught in headlights. Grisha swung his strong hands and clasped Eren's leaping throat, pushing his own son onto a wall and choking him, raising him up until Eren's feet could barely touch the ground, but he was in luck. He was tall, after all, if he were Levi's height, he would be dead for sure. Eren scratched at the hands wrapped around his throat as he desperately gasped and grabbed for air.

"You little _fucker!" _Grisha cursed, laughing sardonically as he watched his son look for air, "Haven't you learned not to do stupid things like that? Oh wait, stupid people like you can't learn! You're brain is as small as a grain- do you see what I mean when I call you weak you piece of shit!?"

Levi snapped into action. "Stop!" He growled at Grisha, knowing if he had attacked the elder man he would get his skull bashed into the wall.

Eren's frantic eyes found Levi's, "Le...vi," He seemed to struggle letting Levi's name out, and with every letter he said, he felt his air hole slowly clamp shut. His lungs were dying from the lack of air, and the pain... the unbearable pain.

Levi's silver eyes widened as the coexistent light in Eren's eyes began to vanish, his skin visibly paler than it already was. He was dying. He was dying.

_He was dying._

Cogwheels whirred in Levi's mind and he then jumped. He landed a punch onto Grisha's face, successfully causing him to topple onto the ground. Levi felt fearless, attacking the thing he feared the most. It was like taming your fears.

Grisha and Eren fell to the floor with a loud thud.

Grisha hissed as his glasses were knocked off his face, falling onto the floor. Levi quickly pulled Eren, who was trying to regain his breath desperately, and stomped on Grisha's glasses, knowing that Eren's dad couldn't see near _or _far without them.

At the sound of glass breaking, Grisha screamed, "Levi! You son of a bitch!" He screamed at nothing as he stared ahead, trying to figure shapes out from their forms, "How dare you!?" Grisha then stood up, wobbly. He launched himself at a potted plant which he had believed was Levi.

Levi took this as a chance. He ran upstairs, leaving Eren behind.

Eren knew what Levi was doing, "Quickly," he panted, "go..."

Levi raced upstairs, his heart pounding. If he were any later then thirty seconds, it would be the end for Eren and him. He knew Grisha heard him going upstairs, and he was most likely going to target Eren first because he was already gasping for air and weak as of the moment. Levi opened the door to the left which was Grisha's bedroom and quickly searched for money. He needed all the money they needed- _jewelry _even- so they could live off. Levi quickly found money in the putrid smelling room. He took bunches and bunches of money of all sorts, ranging from twenty to a hundred dollars. Money which were already bunched up- probably supposed to be sold to drug dealers to get drugs, and probably from the drugs he had sold over time. He opened drawers, stealing as much as he could and sliding them into a black bag he had found nearby which reeked of weed. He took socks, knowing they would need it for later on.

While pulling the drawers, he found Carla Jaeger's jewels: untouched and dusty. It was the cleanest of drawers, perfumes of all sorts inside that one drawer. Levi bit his lip and took a few things, not wanting to disturb Carla's treasures by taking all of the most important things she owned. Thirty seconds was up, and Levi had to go. He was about to turn around until he saw a picture of Eren, Carla and himself, huddled up with Carla's arms wrapped around their heads, hugging them close to her. He froze for a moment. He let the memory catch up to him before reality sank in as he heard Eren scream. He quickly grabbed the photo inside the light green picture frame and left.

Rushing downstairs and almost falling, he found Grisha about to punch Eren. Levi kicked the old man off Eren, not feeling the slightest bit sorry when he did so. He successfully knocked Grisha off Eren, seeing as Grisha rolled onto his side, clutching his head which had banged into the wall.

Levi grabbed Eren, slung the black bag on his back and did the only choice they had left:

To run.

Levi and Eren bolted out the door in bare feet, unlocking the door and running out while the alarm wailed. Eren almost screamed as his feet felt the unfamiliar stone pavement, bringing tears to his eyes as he felt the roughness. Tears leaked from his eyes, and he wanted to stop, but he knew- _no, they _knew- that they weren't allowed to. No matter how much it hurt, no matter how much pain they felt, they had to keep on going.

It was all in order to live.

It wasn't until that they found themselves in a completely unfamiliar, dark alley way that Eren realized with a breath taking smile...

They were free.

They were _free._

They. Were. _Free._

* * *

**Heheh sorry for the late update XD!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own SnK in general pls**

* * *

Eren and Levi gasped and panted for air in an alleyway in a city filled with people unknown to them.

Humans were passing by, left and right, not caring for the two males unless some curious ones dared to peek down the dim alley. The streets were bustling with cars, sidewalks flooded with people. Couples walked side by side happily.

Levi looked at Eren expectantly. Levi knew more about the city and about how it worked now a days due to the fact he read books and watched TV when he was allowed to, but Eren was never given such a luxurious rest from his work. Grisha would relentlessly toss Eren around the house while giving _oh-so _special Levi resting periods. Upon knowing that he was much more intellectual in these kind of things, his gaze remained on Eren. Waiting for him to ask what he knew he would ask: "_Where are we?"_

Finally, after catching his breath, Eren's emerald eyes met Levi's silver ones. He licked his dry, cracked lips and opened his mouth, "Let's go."

Levi blinked, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. "What?" Levi realized that he was holding his breath while waiting for Eren's voice to appear. He took in sharp breaths, the icy air drowning in his throat as he continued to supply his lungs with more air.

Eren smiled- _for once, _a carefree, gentle one. He stretched a hand out for Levi to take, "Come on," he chuckled dryly, "let's find somewhere warm to be meanwhile. My feet hurt a lot..." Eren frowned and looked down at his feet, lifting his leg up so that he could check to see if his foot was bleeding, "I think I'm dying."

Levi scoffed. He grabbed Eren's hand and reeled Eren in towards him, giving him a little poke on his forehead, "Idiot, you're not. My feet hurt too," he kept Eren's hand in his as they turned and began to walk out, "we're just not used to the roughness of this.. _floor._"

Eren kept close to Levi as he felt chills run up and down his spine, a sensation that he felt due to the fact that it was freezing cold outside. He and Levi, however, were somewhat used to this. The window which they loved to stare out at was not properly insulated, thus letting the cold air file in. That's when Eren and Levi would usually decide to tangle themselves with each other and sleep. It was the only way to stay warm.

As they lead themselves out of the alley, Levi's grip on Eren's hand tightened.

Eren, in response, replied with a little squeeze, keeping close to Levi. He would be lying to himself if he did not admit the fact that he was quite afraid to face the world. He was without knowledge, only knowing the simple things like stop signs, walk signs, look before crossing the road. He was scared, yes, but very excited. Excited to find new materials, to _see _what he has not before, to taste new things, to have new belongings, to feel new objects and of course, to hear new sounds, and Eren was sure Levi was too.

Upon stepping out of the alley, people turned their heads to look at them. Out of reflex, some dodged them and gave them more space than they needed. Levi understood them, but Eren couldn't quite figure out why they were doing so. Whispers of voices, loud noises- they all began to blur into one. Eren was not used to this. Eren suddenly stepped back into the alley as his head began to ache: a phenomenon caused by the fact that he has never stepped outside the house ever since he was seven. Levi, on the other hand, seemed more tolerant to the blur of frantic voices and wailing noises. Eren covered his ears and shut his eyes. How come he was fine before? Was this a side effect of the tension of finally uncovering a new world?

Eren felt warm hands clasp over his own, and for a moment, he could not register what it was. He opened his eyes and blinked as the warm breath of Levi tickled his skin.

"Eren," Levi began, his eyebrows furrowed with determination and his eyes lit, "can you hear me?"

Eren slowly nodded. Although Levi's voice was muffled, he could.

"What's wrong?" A hint of worry was able to be traced in Levi's tone, "Are you sick- or what?" He tilted his head slightly as he began to examine the brunette.

Eren shook his head, "The noise," he whispered. He was parched from the lack of water, and so was Levi.

"Too many things happening it once?" Levi interrogated with a sigh, "It's the same for me, Eren."

Eren's thick eyebrows furrowed upwards, "Why are you not feeling anything?"

"Because, right now, all I'm thinking about is you." The raven haired male was being honest. It was true; he was being bothered by the loud abundance of sounds and voices. Except, he was using his thoughts to drown them out. Eren, Eren, Eren.

Eren blushed slightly from his answer, embarrassed.

"Now look at me and listen to me, Eren," Levi's eyes peered into Eren's own, "you can only _see _me. You only _hear _me. You can only _feel _me. The pain on our feet doesn't exist. The noises around us don't exist. It's just," his grip on Eren's hand slackened before falling apart all at once, "us, exploring a new world."

Eren's eyes widened as he took his shaky hands off his ears.

Nothing. His headache had magically stopped.

He looked behind Levi to see if nobody was there.

There were people passing by the dark corridor they were in. They talked, chatted, let their voice out- but Eren didn't seem to mind anymore.

"How are you now?" Levi took a few steps back from Eren, his arms falling to his sides, limp.

"I.." Eren paused for a moment. He smiled as he looked at Levi, "I'm not bothered anymore. My feet don't hurt too much, I can hear them, but they don't bother me as much..." He looked genuinely amazed, "How'd you do that, Levi? That's.. _amazing!"_

Levi could only smirk, feeling proud of himself for managing to make Eren's bothers go away, "It's a _secret."_

Eren looked annoyed for a second, "Tell me! Friends don't keep secrets away from each other!"

"I don't recall having a friend," Levi bluntly replied as he turned around, eliciting a disappointed noise from Eren which he found rather _cute_, "come on, let's go." He then began to stroll out, feeling the sharp rocks beneath him.

"Yes, sir!" Eren playfully responded as he grabbed onto Levi's hand.

Levi paused for a moment, stopping dead. If Eren held his hand while they walked out, would people look at them strangely? Calculating the odds, he slowly pulled Eren's hand off of his.

Eren's face fell for a moment, "..Huh?"

"It'll look strange," Was all Levi said before he began to walk out.

Eren refused to move for a few seconds as he looked at his right hand which was holding Levi's own a few moments ago. He averted his eyes and scowled before lightly jogging to catch up with Levi.

* * *

"No, no!" Eren pulled Levi back as he was about to cross a red light, "Remember what our moms told us? Don't cross when it's red, silly!" Eren scolded Levi, earning themselves odd looks.

Irritation and the emotion of longing for something filled Levi. He made a small 'hmph' noise before waiting the light to turn green. They had formulated a plan. Find a store, buy some shoes, slide on socks and eat.

Eren felt rather _disappointed _as Levi did not respond to him. Thinking that Levi was mad at him, he clenched his teeth for a moment, holding his breath until the light ahead of them suddenly turned green.

* * *

After crossing a few roads which lead to nowhere familiar, they came across a large building which said in big letters up front: "_Ice Mall" _

Levi's eyes gleamed with familiarity and happiness at the sign, "Hey, look! Remember coming here?" Levi pointed at the building, curiosity and relief bubbling in his stomach.

"Hmm," Eren scrutinized the building. "Ah!" He grinned, "I remember peeing my pants here!"

Levi shot Eren a look, "Nothing else?"

Eren blinked twice, thinking for a moment. "Well," He sighed, "there was that one time where I got diarrhea here, I think..."

"Ew!" A teenage girl who looked about twelve who was passing by happened to hear this, and decided to speak up, "_TMI!"_

Eren blinked as his eyes watched the young girl pull out a white device with a bright screen. His eyes widened with curiosity, and he suddenly felt like following the girl. After lifting a foot up, Levi decided to pull Eren away from her direction as they headed into the mall.

Eren followed Levi as they waited to cross another street, watching as cars passed by as he blew his hands so that they could become warm again.

Levi watched Eren's blow his hands.

Irritation.

Yearning.

Levi grunted, annoyed by his own feelings as he swiveled his head away to look at the pedestrian crossing signal to turn from a bright, blaring red to a green color.

"My hands are frozen," Eren whined.

Irritation. Yearning.

Levi closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Levi.." Eren softly said, worried that Levi was mad at him. "Did I make you mad?" He peered at Levi as he stepped up beside him.

"..No, you idiot," Levi rolled his eyes.

"Then why are you-!?" Eren was almost thrown into a state of panic as Levi began to cross.

"Hurry up, or you'll be left behind."

Eren scowled, gritting his teeth at Levi's response. After crossing the street with two other people, Eren decided to stay quiet. If Levi did not want to talk to him, then he would not either. As they advanced towards the mall, the irritation and longing in Levi grew stronger, and it wasn't until that they were at the door Levi finally decided to snap.

"It can't be helped," Levi growled, frustrated at himself as he turned around to face Eren, his eyes set ablaze.

"H-Huh?" Eren stopped.

Levi swung his arm and opened his hand. He latched onto Eren's left hand and turned around, pulling Eren into the mall with him, saying 'thanks' to a sweet, middle aged lady who decided to keep the door open for them.

"You're welcome," She replied with a smile, waiting for a few more people to pass by before leaving to wherever she needed to go to.

"Wow!" Eren gasped at the sudden change of temperature. It had turned from freezing cold to comfortably warm, "That was so.. _sudden." _Eren's green eyes then trailed downwards to look at their intertwined hands. He smiled knowingly, "_So this is what he was being so fussy about.. He missed my hand!" _

Levi nodded, "It's expected. The owner of this mall obviously doesn't want to keep the people inside it feeling cold," Levi then realized that the flooring beneath his feet were different. He looked down. It was a carpet. The edges of his lips turned up for a moment before he tugged Eren along with him, "Come on. I still remember shopping with my mom here, so there should be a place where we can buy shoes."

Eren smiled, "Clothes for our feet!" He childishly sang.

Levi snickered.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, they found themselves at a shoe store called "Crescendo". They awkwardly ambled in, ignoring the stares that people gave them. They felt self-conscious.

Eren felt the pressure being lifted off his shoulders as soon as he heard someone from his right side say:

"_Oh, that brunette is a cutie. I love his eyes- they're green right?"_

_"Yeah!"_

_"I knew it! They're so visible from far_ away..." The voice gushed, "_So pretty- but how come they have no shoes on?"_

He smiled. At least he looked good. He looked over at Levi, who seemed irked and annoyed. Deciding that there was no harm in teasing, Eren chirped from behind him, "Did you hear _that?"_

"Hear what?" Levi pretended not to look bothered, but it was clearly showing on his features.

"Haha," Eren chuckled, "never mind, Levi..."

Levi made an annoyed grunt before turning left to the men's section for shoes. Why did he care anyway? Girls could say whatever they wanted, compliment Eren, tell them how beautiful his eyes really were.. how magnificent they were when they seemed to glow in the dark.. that he looked like a model with his figure. Levi shook his head, "_I am not thinking about how Eren looks like," _he denied inwardly, "_I am not. Think about shoes.." _

"Levi!" Eren pulled Levi away as he ran down an aisle, forcing the raven haired male to follow him.

"Oi!" Levi hissed as his hand was being pulled, "Idiot, watch it!"

His wails were unheard, "Look!" Eren looked at the dark blue _Converse_ high-tops, "I like them!" He grinned wolfishly at Levi, "Can we buy that, please?"

Levi blinked, "Not until we find some other pairs, but keep this one in check." He eyed the shoes, inwardly taking note that Eren's taste was not bad. He looked at the price. Thirty percent off, and it was currently twenty-five dollars.

"Oh," Eren frowned for a few seconds before smiling, "okay!"

* * *

Ten minutes have passed since then. After a few more minutes of calculating and nagging from Levi, telling Eren to choose better shoes which would be good in the rain or snow and had good padding inside, they had decided.

Eren, being stubborn and all, decided to get the pair of _Converse _he wished for, and Levi got rather _expensive _combat boots for a hundred and ten dollars, but he promised that he wouldn't waste anymore for shoes for a few months. They tried out all kinds of sizes before finally figuring themselves out.

After purchasing them, Levi and Eren found a bench to sit down on. Levi opened the black bag, still reeking of drugs and tossed a pair of thick socks to Eren. Eren smiled in response and responded with a 'thank you' before sliding them on and putting his shoes on, although he had some trouble figuring out how to tie his laces. Levi did the same and had the same problem with tying his own laces, but they both managed to get through it. They realized that they had different ways of tying them.

Eren let out a sigh of relief as his feet didn't feel so uncomfortable anymore, and although they still hurt, they worked for now. "Thanks, Levi," He gave Levi a wolfish grin, "for everything I mean. Escaping with me, traveling with me..."

Levi tossed Eren a small smile, "You're welcome, Eren." He latched his hand onto Eren's yet again before marching on, "Now let's eat and talk about our lives starting from this day on."

Eren nodded and reluctantly followed, intertwining his fingers with Levi's.

* * *

**sleeeepy.**


End file.
